


Shoot Me Down (With My Bitter Heart)

by LostMyHeartToHim



Series: Grindeldore one-shots [6]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Jealousy, M/M, Men Crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 15:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17428598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostMyHeartToHim/pseuds/LostMyHeartToHim
Summary: "You never meant it, did you?"Aka This time it's Albus turn to be jealous, and instead of being hilarious, it's just sad.





	Shoot Me Down (With My Bitter Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [isabellaofparma](https://isabellaofparma.tumblr.com/)
> 
> It's pretty short, but I hope you'll still like it
> 
> Title from Bitter Heart by Memi

Albus Dumbledore walked through MACUSA's lobby, his steps measured and decisive. He slipped into the elevator and requested the house elf operating it to take him to the detainment level.

No one stopped him or asked what he was doing here. It was curious what a little confidence and looking like you knew where you were going could do. He didn't even need to use a Confundus charm. If this was the level of security MACUSA had, it was no wonder that Gellert had managed to go undetected for so long. He could have, of course, arranged to see Gellert through official channels, but he would prefer not to give anyone cause to investigate their shared past.

Albus placed his hand behind his back and wrung them nervously together. He was just here to see that they were treating Gellert properly. That was all. As soon as he saw that Gellert was alright, he would leave. As the elevator came to a stop, he sightlessly stared at the hallway in front of him. He was filled with trepidation.

"Sir?"

Remembering that he wasn't alone, he glanced at the house elf and quietly thanked him. Slowly he stepped out into the hallway. The elevator doors slid closed behind him.

He breathed deliberately through his nose, trying to calm down the sea of anxiety swirling inside him. He was here to make sure they were taking care of Gellert properly. That was all.

Nodding to himself, he took out his wand. He flicked it and a faint blue light spilt from it. A streak of light that was unnoticeable to everyone but him crawled through the corridor and disappeared behind a corner. Turning himself invisible, he followed the light through the twisting corridors. Every once in a while he had to press against a wall to avoid bumping into patrolling Aurors. With every step, his heart seemed to pound faster.

Deeper in the cells, the security measures became more complex. Doors kept changing in a seemingly random pattern, and the amount of Auror patrols increased. His dutiful guide light guided him through the doors, and a few Confounding charms took care of the guards. Some doors he had to open with powerful unlocking spells, but he got through eventually, although he did have a somewhat close encounter with a chimaera. He would like to meet whoever was responsible for locking up the poor beast; Newt would have been horrified at its condition. Overall, he got through reasonably smoothly. He wasn't that surprised; it appeared that Magical governments were incompetent everywhere.

Finally, Albus seemed to reach the remotest and most secure part of the prison. His steps faltered as he heard faint voices echoing in the corridor. Going around the last turn, he finally reached the hallway outside the cell Gellert was presumably kept in.

A man, most likely an Auror, judging by the brown suit he was wearing, was standing outside Gellert's cell. He was listening intently to the voice behind the door — Gellert's voice.

Closing his eyes, Albus momentarily leaned his head against a wall. It had been so long since he heard Gellert speak last. The sound of it was deeper now, but its cadence was as familiar to Albus as his own.

Moisture burned at his eyes.

He took a shaky breath, willing himself to calm down. As soon as the Auror left, he would look briefly into the cell and then he would go. His eyes flew open as he belatedly registered the words Gellert was saying.

"You are an extraordinary man, Abernathy. Join me. I can't imagine anyone else but you by my side."

White noise filled his ears. He could almost hear the echo of Gellert's voice as it had been back then, in that summer.

* * *

It had been two weeks after they had they first met. By that time, Albus had already fallen foolishly in love. The air had been wet with moisture and goats had been lazily grazing the fields. The two of them had been standing beneath an old oak tree, and Gellert had just kissed him for the first time.

_Join me, Albus. You are so brilliant - the most brilliant person I have ever met! I cannot imagine anyone else but you by my side._

Albus had blushed and agreed without a thought. The smile on Gellert's face had been breathtaking as he had bent down and kissed him again.

* * *

  _Join me- I can't imagine anyone else but you by my side._

Blanching, Albus took a step back. He looked at Abernathy, the way his cheeks were aflame and how a nervous smile had spread against his face, and he felt something twisting inside of him.

He felt ill.

Hastily turning around, he stumbled and had to lean against a wall. He righted himself with shaking hands and started back towards the way he had come from.

He disappeared around the corner as silently as he had arrived, Gellert and the Auror never noticing him.

* * *

Dumbledore closed the classroom door heavily behind him. For a moment, he lay against it, just looking at the mirror on the far side of the room. Then he pushed himself off the door and walked closer to it, one shaky step at a time. He grabbed the sheet covering it and pulled it down on the ground.

Gellert smiled at him from the Mirror. Albus reached a hand towards his face. He dropped onto his knees as his palm met only cold glass.

"You never meant it, did you?" He whispered, a tear tracking its way down his cheek. The vision, of course, didn't answer.

"All of those things you said, you never meant them," he said, gasping from the force of his sobs, "You never meant any of it."

The imitation of Gellert frowned in concern, and the mirror showed him kneeling behind him. A nonexistent hand came to rest on Albus' shoulder. Without his permission, Albus' hand rose to meet it. There was nothing there. There had never been.

"It was all a lie, wasn't it," Albus asked, his voice outwardly calmer, "I was just one person in the line of many, wasn't I?"

The Mirror Gellert tilted his head and brushed Albus' hair with his hand. Albus instinctively leaned towards it, more tears spilling down his cheeks.

"You never loved me, did you?" he whispered.

Suddenly, a great rage rose inside of him, and he jumped up onto his feet. The Gellert in the mirror looked alarmed.

"Did you?!" Albus cried, a sharp burst of magic exploding from him. Small clouds of dust fell from the ceiling as cracks appeared along its length. The Mirror and its image remained unaffected, its innate magic protecting itself.

Breathing heavily, Albus waved his hand, and the fractures repaired themselves. Letting out a sob, he fell to the floor once more.

"You used me," he sobbed, burying his head into his hands, "You used me, and I loved you."

"You are a monster and a murderer, and I- I love you," Albus whispered, his voice wet with tears.

"I love you," he repeated, closing his eyes, "But you never loved me."

The Gellert in the mirror remained silent. As he always did.

**Author's Note:**

> Poor dear :(
> 
> The tragic irony of this is that Albus was the only person Gellert ever loved and was genuinely interested in.
> 
> Does anyone else ever think about the fact that Harry and Co. were just basically able to walk straight into the department of mysteries? Like, imagine just being able to just waltz into the bloody white house or smt. Obviously, security isn't very high on the list of wizard priorities.
> 
> Leave a comment if you liked it <3
> 
> My tumblr: [bloodtroth](https://bloodtroth.tumblr.com/)


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